“What’s going on?” asked Elena.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure I don’t like it,” replied Grant. “Jim, find us a way out of here…now!”
25
“All clear, sir,” reported Charles.
“Well done. Now, get after those bastards,” said Roth, tapping his right foot on the ground. He fell into line with his team and jogged through the passage until they emerged in the cavern filled with the pedestals.
“No one moves an inch,” ordered Charles.
“Mister Charles, I can see where they went,” said a man with a French accent, pointing at the footprints in the sand and dust.
“Henri, Jung, follow their trail, but be careful and keep your eyes peeled for any booby traps.”
The two mercenaries gave a thumbs-up and proceeded warily into the chamber. They had barely reached the first row of standing stones when Henri stopped and pointed at the ground in front of him. His partner moved over. “We’ve found a tripwire,” reported Henri.
“Okay, see where it leads to and then disarm whatever device it is attached to,” said Charles.
Roth’s hands began to shake. His patience was nearly at an end. All this caution was slowing them down. “This is unacceptable. Speed it up!”
“Sir, we’re already down five men,” said Charles. “If we’re not careful we could lose five more.”
“I don’t care. I’ll double the salary of everyone here if they’d just damn well pick up the pace. The people we’re after are getting away. I want to be on the other side of his godforsaken cave in the next five minutes or less.”
“Triple?” bargained Charles.
Roth nodded. “Yes, yes, just hurry up.”
Charles snapped his fingers and then pointed along the path Grant’s team had taken. “Move, now.”
“What about the tripwire?” asked Henri.
“Mark it and bypass.”
“Oui,” replied Henri, placing a glowstick on the ground to light up the wire. His partner stepped over the trap and activated a second wire, hidden under some glass debris. In a flash, the cavern lit up. A split second later, the stunned mercenaries were struck by two ear-shattering blasts as the flashbang grenades detonated less than a meter from them.
Bright white dots filled Roth’s vision. His ears rang as if he were standing right next to a tolling cathedral bell. He brought up his hands to his ears, dropped to one knee, and let out a cry through clenched teeth.
“Is everyone all right?” screamed Charles.
Aside from Henri and Jung staggering around like a pair of drunks, the rest of the team were still on their feet.
Roth felt a hand on his arm. It was Charles. “Sir, it was only a couple of flashbangs. Everyone is good to go.”
Roth nodded. “Carry on, Charles.”
“Yes, sir.”
Roth watched as one of the mercenaries brought out a thin stick from his pack and held it in front of him, moving it from side to side like a blind man as he walked. The other people fell into line behind him. Roth shook his head. For all the money he was paying them, a little stick was the most practical thing he had seen them use so far.
26
“Captain, back here!” hollered Maclean. “I think I may have found a way out.”
Grant ushered his friends to Maclean’s side, where they found a huge pile of boulders barring their way.
“I thought you said you found something?” said Grant.
“I did,” replied Maclean, shining his light on a sheet of rusted metal. “I think this is part of an old door. Surely, they would have had a way to fly that ship in and out of the mountain.”
“Makes sense to me. Set your charges, and let’s see if we can blast our way to freedom.”
“Won’t that bring the roof down on us?” asked Hayes.
“Maybe, maybe not,” replied Grant. “Either way, I don’t think we have much choice in the matter.”
“Why not?”
“Because I think I may have inadvertently activated some sort of self-defense mechanism on the ship.”
“Even after all these years?” said Elena.
Grant shrugged. “You saw it come to life.”
“I’m with the captain on this one,” said Maclean. “I want the hell out of here, now.”
Grant looked over at Maclean while he placed one of the charges against the metal plating. “Almost done?”
“Give me thirty seconds. Why don’t you take Elena and Jeremy and find a large rock to hide behind?”
“You heard the man,” said Grant. “Let’s find a bloody big rock and take cover.”
As soon as they had taken refuge, Maclean slid behind the massive boulder, rolled over, and placed his hands over his head. Everyone collectively ducked, and ten seconds later, the cavern shook as the explosives detonated. Dust and debris rained down from the roof. Luckily, nothing larger than a small stone landed anywhere near Grant’s people. A thick cloud of dust hung in the still air.
Grant popped his head up. A beam of daylight shone into the cavern. The charges had worked perfectly. “Let’s go.”
The explosives had created a hole large enough for one person at a time to crawl through. Grant looked over Maclean, who, like everyone else, was covered in dust. “You first. See where this goes and be prepared to help Elena and Jeremy at the other end.”
“Not a problem,” replied Maclean. He got down on his knees, pushed a couple of rocks aside, and crawled through the opening.
Seconds later, he popped his head back into the hole. “It’s safe. Come on out.”
“You’re next, Elena,” said Grant. She nodded and crouched as she approached the opening.
“You won’t believe this, Dave,” Maclean continued, “but the tunnel comes out near an old animal path.”
“Is it safe and wide enough for us to use?”
“Should be.”
Grant tapped Elena on the shoulder. “Okay, go.”
“Do you think we’ll make it off the mountain before nightfall?” asked Hayes.
Grant checked the time. “It’s going to be close.”
“Elena’s through,” reported Maclean.
“Your turn, Professor.”
“They’re not paying me enough for this job,” muttered Hayes as he crawled into the opening.
Anxious to leave, Grant squatted down and waited until Hayes’ feet had disappeared. He was just about to enter the short tunnel when he felt the cold barrel of a pistol on the nape of his neck.
“Stand up, mate, and don’t try anything stupid, or I’ll blast your brains all over the place,” warned a man with a British accent.
Grant swore under his breath and slowly stood.
The gunman ripped Grant’s MP7 from his shoulder and quickly frisked him, finding his pistol hidden at the small of his back. He grabbed Grant by his jacket collar and spun him around.
Grant wasn’t surprised to see a group of well-armed men standing there with their weapons trained on him. The glow from the UFO now lit up the cavern as bright as day. Grant played for time. “So, to whom do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
The mercenaries parted. A fit-looking man with an evil glint in his eyes stepped forward and stood just out of arm’s reach. “Captain David Grant, you have no idea how long I have wanted to meet you in the flesh.”
“You, sir, seem to have me at a disadvantage. You know my name. What’s yours?”
“My name is Peter Roth. We’ve never met, but I believe you met my brother, Max, in Alaska.”
Grant could see the family resemblance in Roth’s eyes. “Yes, I did.”
Roth leaned forward. “Did you kill him, Mister Grant?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe you,” snapped Roth. Spittle flew from his mouth.
“Believe whatever you want. But I didn’t kill your brother.”
“Then who did?”
“I don’t know. The last time I saw him was when he fell down a mine shaft. The fall wasn’t that
far, and most likely wouldn’t have killed him. He probably died when the mine exploded.”
“Don’t you mean volcano?”
Grant chuckled. “Sorry, that was a cover story created by some people with overly active imaginations. The mine contained a ship somewhat like the one in this cavern, set to self-destruct. That’s what blew the shaft apart and killed your brother.”
Roth’s eyes flickered. “What do you know about this craft?”
“Absolutely nothing. It was here when we arrived.”
“Then why is it glowing?”
“That’s probably my fault. I think I may have accidentally triggered something.”
“Sir, we’re wasting precious time,” said the black mercenary to his boss. “We should kill him and get out of here while we can.”
The ship started to emit a low hum.
Roth glanced over at the craft and then back at Grant. He brought a pistol out of a jacket pocket and pointed it at Grant. “I’d have preferred to torture you to death, but it doesn’t look like I’ll get to have my fun.”
Grant stood ramrod straight and locked eyes with the man about to take his life. “Sorry to break it to you, pal, but life’s full of disappointment.”
“Goodbye, Captain.”
Grant clenched his jaw and awaited his death when suddenly the sound of a SMG firing reverberated from behind him. The mercenaries had been so focused on him, they didn’t bother to leave anyone to cover the escape tunnel. The first burst hit Roth in the hip, sending him spinning around. He dropped his pistol and fell to his knees. The second was like the Grim Reaper’s scythe, cutting down several mercenaries and injuring a couple more. Men panicked and dove for cover.
Out of the corner of his eye, Grant saw Maclean wave to him. He turned on his heel and dashed for the opening. Maclean was already scrambling back on all fours. Grant followed suit and clawed his way forward until he emerged out in the open. He took one quick look around and said, “Where’s Elena and Jeremy?”
“I sent them on ahead,” replied Maclean, handing Grant a pistol.
“Good. Now let’s get the hell out of here before that ship brings the mountain down on top of us.”
Roth faded in and out of consciousness. He never felt Charles yank him to his feet and throw him over his shoulder. The next thing he knew, Charles was running as fast as he could out of the cave and back the way they had come. Roth looked down and saw blood trickling down Charles’s jacket. Through the cloud in his mind, he remembered being shot. He blinked and tried to focus his eyes. It was for naught. His world became a tunnel that shrank by the second until he blacked out.
“There they are,” said Maclean, pointing down the narrow trail.
Grant had never been so happy to see his friends before. He looked past Elena and Jeremy and saw they were nearing the bottom of the mountain. In the distance, Grant could see a couple of old stone houses built next to a small orchard.
“People, I don’t want to sound like I’m in a hurry,” yelled Grant to his friends, “but let’s get our butts in gear and get the hell off this mountain.”
Charles’ legs and lungs burned as he sprinted up the narrow passageways. In superb physical shape, he ignored the pain and pushed on. Behind him, only one man had been able to keep up. All the others had given up hope or were somewhere farther behind him, struggling to escape. An ex-British Army paratrooper, William Charles knew his future was tied to keeping Roth alive.
All of a sudden, the ground beneath his feet shook from side to side. Charles tripped over a rock and tumbled to his knees. He threw out his left hand to stop him from falling to the ground. An ominous, disconcerting rumble from deep inside the mountain grew louder by the second. He staggered to his feet and ran out into the cavern with the temple in it.
“Can I help?” asked Henri, rushing to Charles’ side.
“No, it’s okay. Help lead the way with your flashlight.”
The roar of rock splitting apart filled the cavern. Light flooded in from a crack in the wall.
“There, that’s the way,” shouted Charles.
With the roof collapsing around them, they sprinted for the opening. Henri got there first and squirmed his way through the crack. He turned and held out his hands. “Hurry, pass me Mister Roth.”
Charles lowered Roth from his shoulder and helped Henri guide him through the jagged fissure. The moment Roth was safe, Charles ripped off his jacket and tried to cram his stocky frame through the opening. It was a tight squeeze, but with Henri pulling on one arm, Charles slipped out into the open. He spotted a path leading down the side of the mountain, hefted Roth back onto his shoulder, and took off running.
Behind him, the mountain was dying. Large slabs of rock, shaken loose by the explosion, slid down the side of the mountain, smashing to pieces anything in its way.
Henri cried out in pain.
The man was on his own, thought Charles. He couldn’t stop to help him. Not with Roth on his shoulder. It was every man for himself, and as far as Charles was concerned, the fewer that made it out alive, the larger the payoff would be for him.
27
Grant ran past his friends and came to a sliding halt in front of one of the cottages’ old wooden doors. He banged furiously on the door, hoping someone was at home. When he didn’t hear a response, he brought up his foot and kicked the door, which split apart and flew off its hinges. Grant dashed inside. The one-room home was empty. He spun around just in time to see Maclean lower his shoulder and barge his way into the other house.
“No one’s home,” reported Maclean.
Grant gritted his teeth and looked back up at the mountain. He had expected to see a wall of death and destruction racing toward them. Instead, San Fernando Mountain still stood. Clouds of dust and smoke covered many parts of the peak, but remarkably it looked to be mostly intact.
“Today must be our lucky day. I thought we were all going to die,” said Grant, heaving in great lungsful of air, trying to catch his breath.
“I think most of the blast escaped out of the old metal hangar doors we discovered in the cavern,” said Hayes as he dropped to his knees.
“Yeah, but the blast in Alaska blew Robertson’s Mine apart,” said Elena between gasps.
“It’s all about mass,” said Hayes. “San Fernando probably has a thousand or more times the mass than the area around the mine had. And for that, I’m more than grateful.”
Grant sat on the ground and ran a hand over his sweat-covered brow. “I doubt any of the opposition survived the explosion.”
“I wouldn’t take that bet, Captain,” said Maclean. “It’s always safer to assume the worst and plan accordingly. They had to get up there somehow. If the mercenaries in the mountain are all dead, their colleagues helping them aren’t.”
“As always, you’re right.” Grant stood. “The trees hug the road all the way back down into the valley. We can use them for cover.”
“My phone is still working,” said Elena, waving it about in the air.
“Call Captain Morales and have him send a chopper to pick us up right away.”
“Does that mean I have to get back on my feet?” griped Hayes.
Maclean helped the professor up. “Come on, Jeremy, just think—it’s all downhill from here.”
Charles didn’t stop running until he was sure he and Roth were safe. He gently lowered Roth to the ground and checked his wounds. Roth had been hit twice in the hip. From what he could tell, the bullets had passed right through Roth’s body and come out the other side. Charles removed Roth’s scarf and used it as a bandage to help staunch the flow of blood. When he was satisfied that his boss was not going to die, he propped him up against a tree and dug out his encrypted cell phone.
“Eagle One, here,” said a voice on the other end.
“Eagle One, this is Alpha Leader. I need immediate medevac at my coordinates,” said Charles.
“Roger, I have you on my screen. Please confirm the number of people to be picked up and
nature of the injury.”
“Two pers for pick up, one of whom has multiple bullet wounds to right hip.”
“Please confirm pick up is for two pers only.”
“That is correct. The injured person is Alpha One,” said Charles, using Roth’s code name. “So, I suggest you get a move on.”
“Wilco, Alpha Leader. We are on our way to your location. ETA two-five mikes.”
“Hurry, and make sure the first person off that chopper is a medic. Alpha Leader, out.”
Charles undid his jacket and let the hot air escape. He reached behind his back and grabbed his water bottle. He took a long swig before putting it back. His team’s Russian-made stealth helicopters were invisible to the Bolivian Air Force’s radar. Once he and Roth were picked up, they would fly across the border to Peru, where a transport aircraft waited for them. Charles expected a huge reward for saving Roth’s life. Now that he knew what Grant looked like, Charles hoped his next assignment would be to track him down and kill him. He grinned. Charles was barely thirty years old, and in a matter of months, he would be able to retire to an island in the South Pacific and live like a king for the rest of his life.
28
Anderson Creek, North Carolina
The nervous tension built inside Erica Jones’ chest until it felt like a vise squeezing the air from her lungs. She sat quietly in the rented SUV, watching Technical Sergeant Hancock on a tablet resting on her lap. Hancock sat in her car parked next to an old industrial warehouse.
“Ma’am, it’s nearly time,” said the thickset MP, who sat behind the steering wheel.
Jones glanced over at the dash and saw they were one minute from the scheduled rendezvous. She brought a Motorola radio to her lips. “Hancock, can you still hear me?”
The Founders Page 13
